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City officials confirmed Tuesday that Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir has agreed to leave her role after a four-year tenure.
The city did not give a reason for her departure in a prepared statement announcing her resignation. City Manager Andrew Ching, the statement says, accepted Moir’s resignation and an interim Tempe police chief will be appointed in the coming days.
Her last day will be Oct. 25.
In an email announcing her departure to the department, Moir said the city is seeking changes that led to her resignation.
Ching “has been clear about who should finish the work and who should have a seat at the table for the reforms desired,” she wrote. “These conversations have culminated in making the difficult decision to resign from my position.”
Moir wrote in the letter that she is “confident” that the city would be able to build on the work the department is already doing as it moves forward.
Moir did not respond to a request for comment. She said in her email to city staff that she has no immediate plans but is “open to what unfolds.”
‘Crucial time in our society’
Ching told The Arizona Republic that he and Moir had been discussing the future of the police department for several weeks. Her resignation is a result of those conversations, he said.
City leaders in Tempe, and across the country, have been discussing police reform and what policing should look like following the death of George Floyd, who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day. Ching said he felt it was in the city’s best interest to hire a new leader to oversee long-term changes within the Tempe Police Department.
“We’re at a very crucial time in our society. The focus on social justice and systemic racism, especially as it applies to the police department, — not just here, but nationwide — is a significant topic of concern for myself,” he said. “We have made a lot of progress but we have a lot of work to do and that work should be carried out by the next (police chief).”
Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement that he appreciates Moir’s contributions to the department.
“Chief Moir served the residents of Tempe well,” he said. “She cares deeply for our community members and Tempe Police employees, and she has worked tirelessly to move our department forward. I have truly enjoyed working with her and wish her all the best.”
Moir was Tempe’s first openly gay police chief and the first woman to hold the position. She was also the city’s first police chief hired from outside the department in nearly 50 years.
“Chief Moir has dedicated her professional life to Tempe for nearly five years,” said Ching. “That time and care devoted to our community is deserving of sincere thanks.”
Tenure marred by controversy
Her brief tenure was marred with multiple controversies. Her frequent travels nationwide were questioned, but later stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She publicly stated a fatal 2018 crash involving a self-driving Uber likely was “unavoidable” based on an initial police investigation and video review. She was then criticized for making a statement before the investigation was completed.
Later that year, Moir defended at least three female officers who visited a strip club during a taxpayer-funded trip to Palm Springs, California, for a police conference. Moir said the officers didn’t violate any rules, but apologized for the negative image it may have sent to taxpayers.
Moir was also at the helm of the department in 2019 when former Officer Joseph Jaen shot and killed 14-year-old Antonio Arce as he ran away while holding a nonlethal airsoft gun. The Maricopa County Attorney determined Jaen would not face criminal charges, but Moir stated Jaen’s actions on the day of the shooting violated training and department policies and procedures.
“None of us were there to have a first-hand account of this incident, but evidence suggests that this tragedy reflected that Joseph Jaen’s actions were not in line with our values,” Moir said at the time.
The footage shows Kerzaya pointing a gun at a Black hotel employee despite the employee not matching a suspect description. Kerzaya would not lower his gun until he confirmed the man was a hotel employee. He then can be seen pointing his weapon at three others as he searches for the suspect, who was never found.
Kerzaya faced backlash before for using excessive force against an unarmed Black person. Body camera video from a June 2019 incident showed him using a stun gun on an unarmed Black man who was holding his 1-year-old child in his own home.
Mayor pledges to form public safety advisory board
Following the hotel incident, Woods, who is Black, said he is working with city staff to examine recent incidents to draft a plan addressing “these challenges.” Incidents like these speak to the need for a community-based public safety advisory board, which was slated to start in September, he said.
“Hiring, training, policies and accountability must be examined and proactively addressed to ensure that every person is respected while the community is protected,” Woods said. “We expect, and will accept, nothing less.”
Tuesday’s statement said that the board will “include a wide representation of community members and will examine data, policies, hiring, use of technologies, training, and how the city engages with people who are black, Indigenous and people of color, and those with mental health challenges.”
Reach public safety reporter Bree Burkitt at [email protected] or at 602-444-8515. Follow her on Twitter at @breeburkitt.
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